What is a satellite gateway?
In satellite network architecture, a gateway (also called a hub or feeder station) is a high-power ground facility that handles the bulk of user traffic between the satellite and the terrestrial internet. Unlike a small user terminal that serves one customer, a gateway aggregates tens of gigabits per second from an entire satellite spot beam covering a geographic region and connects it to fibre backbone infrastructure.
Role in HTS and LEO networks
High-throughput satellites (HTS) use frequency reuse across many spot beams, each beam requiring a gateway for backhaul. A Ka-band HTS satellite with 200 spot beams might require 20–40 gateway sites distributed across the coverage region. For LEO constellations like Starlink, gateways are typically equipped with large phased arrays or motorised dish antennas that track satellites across the sky, handing off from one satellite to the next as they pass.
Gateway location strategy
Gateway placement is constrained by several factors: fibre availability (gateways must connect to high-capacity terrestrial networks), land rights and zoning, climate (heavy rainfall attenuates Ka-band signals in tropical regions), and spectrum regulatory approvals in the host country. For polar-orbiting LEO constellations, high-latitude gateway sites — Scandinavia, Alaska, Patagonia — offer high satellite pass frequency and help balance network load.